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HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

Sunday, 31 May 2015

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman washed the Kaaba on Sunday as part of a yearly tradition before the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

The King also prayed inside the Kaaba.

King Salman, who was accompanied by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy prime minister and minister of interior, was received by the Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

During his visit, the monarch also discussed expansion projects in Makkah. — SPA photos

Vincent Tan's FK Sarajevo in the Champions League

SARAJEVO (Bosnia): The club Tan Sri Vincent Tan bought in 2013, after first becoming a football owner with Cardiff City in 2010, claimed the Bosnia and Herzegovina Premier League.

Vincent is the owner of a team in the Champions League - after FK Sarajevo became the champions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The club he bought in 2013, after first becoming a football owner with Cardiff City in 2010, claimed the Bosnia and Herzegovina Premier League with a 3-1 victory over city rivals Zeljeznicar.

Tan and Bluebirds boss Russell Slade were both present for the occasion, posing for pictures with fans before the match, after being greeted at Sarajevo International Airport by president Edis Kusturica and director Dino Selimovic.

Wearing a replica FK Sarajevo shirt with Amidza - meaning 'Uncle' - emblazoned on the back, Tan enthusiastically applauded the team at full-time as they claimed a first league title for eight years.

Their triumph will see them enter the Champions League at the second qualifying round ahead of the group stage of the tournament proper in 2015/16.

It comes two years after Tan confirmed he would invest US$2mil (RM7.3mil) in the club and institute co-operation and possible player exchange between Sarajevo and Cardiff City.

At the time, Vincent said: "Bosnia is full of talents. We have already concluded an agreement on cooperation between the two clubs. Cardiff City will also provide technical support in building an academy, we will play friendlies, exchange players and organise joint training camps." — WALES ONLINE

Safe space for singles to mingle

Novel venture: Co-founders of Halal Speed Dating Syed Azmi (left) and Zuhri are confident their platform will be a success.

New ‘dating agency’ lets clients meet in a safe space – and chaperoned.

NOW 35, Hafiz (not his real name) finally feels ready for the next stage in his life – to start a family. But he has no idea where to even begin.

“First, I have to find the right person to be my life mate. All this while, for about 10 years or so, I had been focused on building my career. I spent 16 to 17 hours a day at work, meeting clients and other business appointments. The last time I met anyone and went out on a date was three years ago.”

His only options, he feels, are to marry a colleague, go online or finally let his nosy aunt matchmake him with her brother-in law’s daughters and nieces or some distant cousin.

Hafiz is the type of candidate that the new “dating agency” in town Halal Speed Dating wants to attract to their matchmaking events.

The idea for Halal Speed Dating – a speed-dating event in a respectable and dignified way based on the sunnah (traditions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad in Islam) – is the brainchild of three entrepreneurial friends Norhayati Ismail, Zuhri Yahya and Syed Azmi Alhabshi.

As Norhayati puts it, Hafiz’s experience is the reality now.

Dignified date: A participant and her chaperone meeting candidates they short-listed.

“Many people work long hours and have no time to meet anyone new or go out on dates. I was also working 16-17 hours a day and had no time to go out and meet people, much less date.

“I definitely didn’t want to marry my workmates. Imagine meeting your husband in the office as well. But when I could not meet anyone, everyone kept berating me that it was pathetic I couldn’t find anyone with over 1,000 people working in the same office!”

The 40-year-old says she was lucky to meet the right man for her online, and now wants to make the process easier for others with Halal Speed Dating.

“If you meet someone online, you won’t be sure if there is chemistry between you, if your family are compatible, and worse, you might meet someone dangerous.”

And that was how the idea came to all of them – when they started talking about how difficult it was for them to meet their life partners.

She says the conversation started with their usual teasing of Syed Azmi about still being single and joking about finding him a wife. Before long, they were exchanging their own experiences of meeting their other halves.

Things then started clicking, says Syed Azmi who is always looking for radical ideas for a business endeavour.

Making their pick: Participants at the first Halal Speed Dating event deciding on who they would like to meet from the profile list.

“Norhayati met her husband online, in a dating chatroom, and Zuhri, 34, met his wife in a kind of speed dating event in a Muslim setting – it was organised by the religious authorities as part of their adult education course on love and marriage.

“I thought, if their stories are interesting for me, wouldn’t it be interesting for others?”

Adds the 38-year-old bachelor, after bouncing the idea off each other, they came up with the plan to combine a Muslim setting framework with speed dating.

“The Muslim setting here means a respectable dating process. We are not saying that other matchmaking events are undignified or not respectful of the participants.

“We just wanted a matchmaking process that is based on Muslim etiquette, that istaaruf – to get people to meet and get to know each other with the aim of marriage in a dignified manner. No hanky panky,” explains Zuhri.

They chose “halal” for their name because it is catchy and is current.

“We just wanted a catchy name to attract people,” Norhayati concedes.

“If we put taaruf, people will be scratching their heads in confusion.”

As Syed Azmi puts it, “It’s a platform that is bigger than the name halal, it’s just a name to turn heads. We just want to show a better way of meeting and getting to know prospective spouses in a safe space where they are chaperoned by parents, family members or trusted friends.”

According to Zuhri, there is a market – a survey by the Women, Family and Community Ministry in 2012 showed that 2.5 million Malaysians above the age of 25 are single due to lack of suitable partners and financial problems.

As the Population and Housing Census 2010 showed, of the unmarried Malaysians, 60.4% are men and 39.6% women.

And as the statistics of the first Halal Speed Dating event shows, many seemingly eligible Malaysians are struggling to find a suitable partner in life.

“We received a lot of participants aged between 25 and 38 who are degree holders and employed – with up to 10% holding Master’s qualifications and about 1% with PhD,” says Zuhri.

All they want to do is to give them a safe space to meet, he adds.

Syed Azmi agrees.

“It’s (the idea) not new but it’s different. Because different people have different tastes. And the best thing is that we are still learning.

“Nothing is set in stone, and we are still looking at fine-tuning the matchmaking event to suit the needs and wants of the participants. We’ll change it when we get a better idea,” he says, adding that he plans to have an event only for parents where they will need to “sell” their child or children to the prospective in-laws.

The idea that weddings and starting a family is expensive is another thing that the three want to change.

“We want to raise people’s awareness that getting married does not have to be expensive,” says Zuhri, bemoaning the situation where many young people get into debt not only for their wedding ceremony but also engagement.

“We also want to create a safe space for those who want to find out if they are husband material or ready to get hitched.

“The event is also open to those who want to get married but perhaps not yet. But they have to state clearly that they are not looking to marry so soon so that no one will be disappointed.

“But who knows, the experience may open up their hearts and will make them feel ready to commit to someone and achieve something greater together,” he adds.

Crucially, halal speed dating is not a strictly “Islamic” event for only Muslims, Norhayati reiterates.

“We never claimed that this is an Islamic event, the aim is to get people to meet and marry in a dignified manner.”

Halal Speed Dating is open to everyone regardless of background, she stresses.

“What we do is to streamline it according to each person’s preference and request.”

If you want to find a Muslim spouse, then you will be invited to an all-Muslim matchmaking event, she says.

Their very first event recently saw a non-Muslim male attending an all-Muslim event on his request.

Another buzz was that there were a few who sent in applications to look for second wives or to be someone’s second wife.

“There were even a few who were looking for a second wife for their husbands.

We accepted the applications, we don’t judge but we make it clear that participants have to be upfront and transparent about who they are and their intentions.”

But for the first session that was held at the Talent Lounge in Damansara Perdana, in Petaling Jaya, recently, these candidates were put on hold, as the group decided to focus on single people looking to get married for the first time.

The event saw 60 female and 20 male single hopefuls aged between 25 and 38 including Syed Azmi, out of 700 applicants, attending.

Participants paid a fee of RM45, while their chaperones were charged RM30 for the event.

Profiles of participants – comprising their interests and identified only by a number, no name or picture – were put up for the candidates to make their selections.

In the first round, the women, most with their chaperones, moved from table to table to meet the men they had chosen.

The second round was the men’s turn to “meet” the women of their choice.

Each conversation lasted for five minutes, in which questions ranged from – “where is your hometown” to “how many children would you like to have”.

Syed Azmi said the idea of having a chaperone was so that the women would feel safe, have moral support and discuss opinions on the possible matches.

“The chaperones are also there to ask questions that the women may be too shy to ask themselves. But maybe men need chaperones or wingmen too, because men are shy too,” he says.

The organisers stress that they take the utmost care to protect the privacy and safety of participants.

“That is why we make it a rule that they don’t exchange names, phone numbers, FB or Instagram ID, we don’t want anyone to be stalked or put in danger,” she stresses.

And they will try to hold their events during the day – the first one was held in the morning.

With the first Halal Speed Dating event quite a success – one participant got three marriage offers – the modern day matchmakers are eager to get the second event off the ground soon.

“The problem is, we have 1,200 applications!” says Zuhri.

One thing for sure, it is a nice problem to have.

As for the not-so successful participants, Norhayati says they are thinking of offering a discount for the next event. Now that they have broken the ice, maybe they will find their future spouse in the next event.

One who asked not to be named says she definitely wants to go again as the first event opened her eyes to the possibilities.

“I’ve always wondered why it is so difficult to meet people, whether there are any single people out there who are also looking for a prospective partner. Now, I know, they are out there and there is a place where I can meet them.”

As for Syed Azmi, his experience at the Halal Speed Dating event has also made him more optimistic about meeting the right person soon.

“I met 12 people, and although I did not meet THE one yet, it was a great experience. It was not as stressful as I thought it would be – it was relaxed and I don’t know if it is right to say this, but everyone had fun.”

Glenfiddich, the World’s Most Awarded Single Malt Scotch Whisky presented, for the very first time in Malaysia – The Valley of the Deer, an affair for whisky lovers to experience Glenfiddich and the magic that goes into creating “the best dram in the valley”.

Glenfiddich brought it's world re-knowned Dufftown Distillery to Malaysia with live size replica's of parts of the distillery.

The Valley of the Deer offered Malaysians a rare behind-the-scenes look of what goes on at one of the world’s most reputable single malt distilleries through an interactive exhibition.

The Valley of the Deer took guests on an interactive journey that showcased the art that goes into the making of every cask of Glenfiddich single malt whisky. Guest experienced an average working day at Glenfiddich’s famous Dufftown distillery.

The Valley of the Deer Experience celebrates the journey on what it took in creating the World’s Most Awarded Single Malt Whisky.

Through their full wall to wall video screens they first took all the guest to the birthplace of Glenfiddich and ran through a brief history of the company

Guest were then ushered into a live size mock up of the distillery to experience live the complete Glenfiddich single malt whisky experience, where you could learn how the trinity of malt, water and wood is crafted to perfection at The Valley Of The Deer.

Glenfiddich Master of Oak and Iron, Ian McDonald, Head Cooper of Glenfiddich, gave a live demonstration of how coopering is done and find out how these barrels will give as much as 65% of the whisky its flavor as it matures. He gave a live demonstration on how an oak barrel is made.

At The Valley of The Deer designated bars guest got to taste and learn more of their favourite whisky via interactive touch screens

In the 1920s, with prohibition in force in the USA, Glenfiddich was one of a very small number of distilleries to increase production. This put them in a strong position to meet the sudden rise in demand for fine aged whiskies that came with the repeal of prohibition.

In the 1950s, the Grant family built up an onsite infrastructure that included coppersmiths to maintain the copper stills, and a dedicated cooperage that is now one of the very few remaining in distilleries. In 1956 the Grant's brand launched the now-iconic triangular bottle, designed by Hans Schleger.

Following difficult times in the 1960s and '70s, many small, independent distillers were bought up or went out of business. In order to survive, W. Grant & Sons expanded their production of the drink, and introduced advertising campaigns and a visitors' centre. In this period they also took the decision to begin marketing single malt as a premium brand in its own right, effectively creating the modern single malt whisky category

Later, W. Grant & Sons was one of the first distilleries to package its bottles in tubes and gift tins, as well as recognising the importance of the duty-free market for spirits. This marketing strategy was successful, and Glenfiddich has now become the world's best-selling single malt. It is sold in 180 countries, and accounts for about 35% of single malt sales.

Thank you Ms Rozita Shuib, Publisher at SuperDiva Media Of NEWMAN Magazine for the invite.

Arsenal has retained the FA Cup in majestic style as its 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa made history for the Gunners and their manager Arsene Wenger.

Wenger's side swept Villa aside with a swashbuckling display on Sunday morning sparked by Theo Walcott's first half opener and illuminated by a sublime strike from Alexis Sanchez to double its lead after the interval.

FA Cup: most titles per club

Arsenal - 12

Manchester United - 11

Tottenham Hotspur - 8

Liverpool - 7

Chelsea - 7

Aston Villa - 7

Newcastle United - 6

Blackburn Rovers - 6

Per Mertesacker and substitute Olivier Giroud also got on the scoresheet for the rampant north Londoners to seal Arsenal's second trophy in 12 months with the biggest margin of victory in an FA Cup final since 1994.

It was a suitably memorable performance on a historic day which saw Wenger become the first manager in the post-War period to win the competition six times, a tally matched by only George Ramsey, who won the last of his with Villa in 1920.

There was another significant slice of history for Arsenal as it lifted the famous old trophy for the 12th time, moving it ahead of Manchester United as the most successful club in the competition.

Wenger insisted this week that he does not know where he keeps his medals, but he now has a ninth major honour of his 19-year reign at Arsenal to add to the collection.

"I am very proud. Our club is doing well and if I can personally do well then it's even better," Wenger said of his historic landmark.

We have shown that we are a real team and can deal with pressure. I congratulate the players, the staff and the fans. We are so happy.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

"We have shown that we are a real team and can deal with pressure. I congratulate the players, the staff and the fans. We are so happy."

Arsenal had conceded twice in a disastrous opening eight minutes against Hull in last year's final.

But there was no sign of such a fraught start this time as Arsenal quickly established its smooth passing rhythm to pen Villa deep inside their own half.

Sanchez was at the heart of all the Gunners' best moments and he worked space to clip a cross towards Laurent Koscielny, whose header forced a fine one-handed save from Shay Given.

Aaron Ramsey should have scored when a fortunate deflection presented him with a clear sight of goal just inside the penalty area, yet the Arsenal midfielder could not hit the target with a rushed effort.

Villa, appearing in its first FA Cup final since 2000, seemed completely bewildered by the speed and movement of Arsenal's attacks.

They were prised open when Mesut Ozil's ball in the six-yard box was met by Walcott with a lunging volley that looked goalbound until Kieran Richardson threw himself into a last-ditch block.

Walcott positional switch does the job for Gunners

Walcott had been preferred to Giroud in the central striker's role that he has spent years telling Wenger he could thrive in, but the Arsenal boss responded to that miss by shifting the winger to the left flank and moving Sanchez into the middle.

FA Cup: Last 10 winners

2015 - Arsenal

2014 - Arsenal

2013 - Wigan Athletic

2012- Chelsea

2011 - Manchester City

2010 - Chelsea

2009 - Chelsea

2008 - Portsmouth

2007 - Chelsea

2006 - Liverpool

It proved an inspired switch as the pair combined to break the deadlock in the 40th minute.

Once again, a blur of Arsenal passes went unchecked by the bedraggled Villa rearguard before Nacho Monreal lofted a cross that was bravely headed back across goal by Sanchez.

With Villa's defenders too slow to react to the danger, Walcott pounced, arriving unmarked from the left to lash a ferocious left-foot shot past Given.

Walcott's seventh goal of an injury-ruined season was no more than Arsenal deserved and, with its confidence now sky-high, it took just five minutes after half-time to press home its advantage.

While Walcott has been a bit-part player for most of the campaign, Sanchez has established himself as Arsenal's creative fulcrum in the nine months since he arrived from Barcelona and he capped his debut season with a stunning effort in the 50th minute.

Seizing possession in a wide position 25 yards from goal, a typically deft drop of the shoulder sent two Villa defenders the wrong way, buying time and space for Sanchez to unleash a superb, swerving shot that flashed over the flat-footed Given into the roof of the net.

Villa, so vibrant since Tim Sherwood took over late in the season, looked traumatised by Arsenal's scintillating display.

Mertesacker compounded their misery in the 62nd minute when the Gunners defender guided a corner into the net via his shoulder before Giroud's clever flicked finish in stoppage-time underlined the class divide between the teams.